It is one thing to say your open to the possibility of joining and quite another to actually join. I guess we will see what happens in the coming years:
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol gives remarks during a visit to the headquarters of SK Bioscience Co., a homegrown vaccine producer, in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on April 25, 2022. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has said he will “positively review” South Korea’s joining of Quad, a U.S.-led anti-China security partnership, if invited, according to a report.
Yoon made the remark in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday (U.S. time), saying he does not expect South Korea to receive an invitation any time soon, but if approached, “will positively review joining.”
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is made up of the United States, Australia, India and Japan, and is seen as a partnership aimed at countering China.
As long as the Korean left remains in power I just don’t see them joining the “Quad” because of their near religious zeal of improving relations with North Korea. Additionally even if the Korean right was to regain power even they would be challenged to join the quad considering the heavy economic investment that Korean companies have made in China that would be impacted:
A journalist takes a photo of a screen showing a live image of Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021 in Boao, Hainan province, April 20. AFP-Yonhap
Korea may face tougher pressure from China to avoid joining the U.S.-led informal strategic group, as Beijing reportedly remains on high alert over Seoul’s possible participation.
Citing diplomatic sources, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Saturday that Korea had received a number of inquiries from Chinese officials about whether it was considering joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or “Quad.” But the Korean government has so far said that there has been no invitation from Washington.
The report also said that Chinese diplomatic experts believe that if Korea were to join the Quad, it would be a significant challenge to China’s security in East Asia, while referring to the alliance as an “anti-China coalition” in the region.
